the love affairs of nathaniel p by adelle waldman

He was strong at math with a 4.0 GPA, the type who was placed in advanced classes, good at soccer and baseball but not exactly an athlete. He went to Jewish day school and was not much to look at as a young man. She hits on him by the end of the night.Īfter an introduction to the primary characters of the novel, the narrative devotes a whole chapter on a biography of Nate’s past - from his childhood onward. It is also at this party that Elisa reveals she is not completely over Nate. Nate notices Hannah at this party, someone he recognizes from past social gatherings, who is also a freelance writer whom he eventually has a serious relationship with. The night’s conversation focuses on the issues of concern for Nate’s generation of 30-something’s in Brooklyn, New York. In other words, his concerns are with liberal guilt. This run-in set off Nate’s internal monologue, which continues on through the entire novel the narrator depicts Nate’s thought process as he struggles to make amends with his complicated past with women and seeks balance between his writing career and his personal life.Īt Elisa’s dinner party, Nate reveals the theme of his latest essay on the outsourcing of economic exploitation. Juliette accuses him of being an asshole, having disappeared on her after she had an abortion. He accidentally runs into Juliette on the street, a young woman he went out with only a couple of times but whom he impregnated. At the height of his literary career, Nathaniel Piven, known as Nate in the novel, first confronts women from his past when on his way to his ex-girlfriend Elisa’s dinner party.

The love affairs of nathaniel p by adelle waldman